Welcome back, [s2Get user_field=”first_name” /]. 🙂
Last session before we talk about normalized some more. I’m hoping this is giving you enough time to get it ordered and for it to arrive.
Remember, just like with differential, it makes most sense to wait with sessions till you have the glasses. Otherwise you are more likely to end up skipping over things, doing things not quite fully. If you browse the forum a lot, you see it once in a while, the “oh I guess I need to do old sessions again, I wasn’t completely paying attention.”
That’s the difference between consistent improvement and less consistent improvement. Keep a good flow with those sessions1
For today, let’s look at some close-up things.
In particular, the range of your centimeters, and blur.
You might have noticed already that curious things are happening with your centimeter distance. In particular, you can push it further and further and still get increasing clarity. But then, when you are working, or trying to do something quickly (reading), or work with images or otherwise challenging visuals, you can’t keep that same maximum distance.
Why is that?
Simply (and mostly), it’s because it takes your visual cortex more time to work out a visual signal with more “error”.
Whenever you blink and the clarity changes, that distance falls into the “challenge” distance. It’s the part of the diopter bubble that we are purposely looking for (For stimulus). That area has a range, as you are starting to notice.
Here’s how you can start to leverage this new realization:
Action Items
Find the distance where text really looks blurry, but when you make an effort (active focus), you can read it. It may be full of double vision image artifacts (lots more on that topic later, it’s a big one), but you can read the text.
This is past the blur horizon you’d use to assess your diopter strength.
That distance is where blur just starts. The distance we are looking for now, is the other end of that range. The end where its’ really blurry, and you can just make out the text with a blink and a squint. This isn’t about getting clarity, this is just about being able to read with a bit of effort.
Start to acquaint yourself with this distance, today.
Take 10-15 minutes to read or write at that distance. Do it early in the day when your eyes and brain feel fresh and relaxed. Just 10-15 minutes, and then go back to your usual preferred distance.
Do it again whenever you feel like it. Just 2-3 times today.
This is pretty strenuous for your brain. There is no upside in starting out with this, doing too much. Remember, this is just stimulus. There is a maximum amount that the biology can address at any given time. Doing more just creates more strain that doesn’t translate to faster improvement. I spent literally years experimenting on (willing) participants, looking for the right range of stimulus.
And it turns out, starting with 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day is a great starting point.
Later on we’ll do a bit more of this, but for now, just ease into it. Explore the full range of your vision around those parts that the optometrist tried to shut out completely. This is a fun project, if you let it! 😉
Lastly, for today. Why do we do this, now?
I used to set up several participants with a different rang of activities. We’d spend a few months to as long as 2 years, comparing who improved the most. Just close-up, close-up and distance activity, single close-up strategy vs. working on multiple close-up focal plane distance (as we are starting to now).
And what I found is that working with a range of stimulus, keeping it slightly unpredictable by varying the distances and degree of challenge a bit, is the most effective.
Try it out! And keep notice of how maybe, possibly, that blur distance that’s pretty challenging suddenly comes easy, for a minute or two. If it does, make a note in your log!
Questions? Comments? Pat on the Jake-back? Drop me a line in the forum. 😉
Cheers,
– Jake
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